Privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo is expanding the capabilities of the built-in Scam Blocker tool present in its browser. Going forward, the tool will now be able to protect users from scams, including fake e-commerce sites, shady crypto exchanges, and any scamware sites they might encounter on the internet.
The Scam Blocker tool has been present in the browser since its 2018 launch. However, it was limited to known malware distribution and phishing URLs so far. According to DuckDuckGo’s announcement, the expanded functionality now covers:
- Fake e-commerce websites
- Scam investment sites
- Survey scams
- Scareware sites that claim your system is infected with spyware or malware to trick users into engaging with fake tech support, eventually falling for the scam by buying unwanted or fake antivirus software.
When a potentially dangerous site is detected, the browser will warn the user, both on PC and mobile versions. It also gives you the option to ignore the warning and proceed to visit the website or to leave the site altogether. This is a more user-friendly approach than something like Airtel’s newly announced AI blocking system, which blocks a website it deems dangerous with no option for the user to proceed.
Most of these threats are checked when the user attempts to load a webpage. The browser checks URLs locally against a threat list supplied by Netcraft and updated every 20 minutes. For more advanced, rare, or unknown threats, URLs are checked with DuckDuckGo’s servers. However, this check is run via an anonymous cryptographic process, meaning at no time during the verification process does the user’s device communicate with any third parties.
This method of verification is far more secure than other browsers, which rely on Google’s Safe Browsing Service to check potentially malicious URLs. This involves sending information to Google and potentially other third parties, exposing the user’s identity in the process.
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